Suicide attack rocks southern Afghanistan

Two coalition soldiers and four Afghans killed in in Maruf district of Kandahar province attack claimed by the Taliban.

A suicide attack has killed at least six people including two coalition forces members and four Afghans in southern Afghanistan, international and local officials have said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, according to their spokesman Qari Yousif Ahmadi on Saturday, after the blast that targeted a group of foreign soldiers and Afghan intelligence agents in Maruf district of Kandahar province.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement the attack also wounded several coalition civilian members and Afghan National Security Forces.

"ISAF can confirm that one coalition forces service member and one coalition forces civilian, along with several ANSF service members, died today in southern Afghanistan," ISAF spokesman Adam Wojack told the AFP news agency.

"The injured personnel were evacuated to ISAF medical facilities for treatment," he said.

The attacker was on foot and detonated his explosives-filled vest at a checkpoint close to an office of NDS, the Afghan intelligence agency, according to Kandahar provincial spokesman Jawed Faisal.

"The foreign and Afghan officials were standing at the checkpoint when the attacker blew himself up.

"The blast killed four NDS agents and wounded three others.

There were some casualties among foreigners too." he said.

The Taliban said the attack killed six foreigners and several Afghan security forces.